Gamers, Manga and DC/Marvel, sci-fi and fantasy literature fans alert! National Library Board, in partnership with JTC and local board games company Origame, has opened a pop-up Comics & Games Library at Punggol Coast Mall. The library is a fully self-service library with a collection of more than 7,000 comics, game-themed reads, graphic novels and board games.
The Comics and Games Library is located in the atrium of Punggol Coast Mall in Punggol Digital District.
Comics and Games Library: Reflecting the Adventurous Spirit of Comics & Games
The library features bright, vibrant designs reflecting the fun, adventurous spirit of comics and gameplay.
THIS WEEKEND: Unleash the Power of Stories for Kids with Workshops, Storytelling Session, Book Launches & More
Patrons can look forward to dedicated sections for adults and children, an eReads area and a space for board games.
There are comfortable seating areas available where patrons can settle down have a read and enjoy their selections.
In addition, patrons can also browse a list of eReads, including ones in Mother Tongue languages, from an interactive touchscreen embedded into a bookshelf. In order to borrow an eBook, patrons can simply tap on the screen to reveal a QR code and scan it with their NLB Mobile app.
Collection at the Comics and Games Library at Punggol Coast Mall
The collection at the Comics and Games Library includes the following:
- An English-language collection of popular comics, graphic novels and game-themed reads;
- A separate children’s collection comprising comics and graphic novels catered towards young readers.
In addition to books, patrons can play and enjoy board games with friends and family at dedicated gaming spaces within the pop-up space.
The gaming space is set up in partnership with local board games company Origame Studios Pte Ltd. It showcases local and regional board games.
Patrons can try out a range of games including the family-friendly Kopi King, about well-loved drinks in Singapore, and Durian Dash, in which players will need to visit different plantations to collect their favourite durians to win.
Showcase Wall and StoryGen
At the Comics and Games pop-up library, patrons can also look forward to a showcase wall featuring local comics donated by local comic collectors from their personal collection.
The collection includes Captain V, Singapore’s first full-colour comic, as well as Medium Rare, Singapore’s first comic adaptation of a film.
This provides a glimpse of Singapore’s comic heritage, its evolution over the years and distinct vibrancy.
The items in the special showcase collection will not be for loan.
The pop-up library also features StoryGen, an interactive service produced by NLB and Amazon Web Services that helps users discover great stories and writers by experiencing them in new ways using Generative AI.
Patrons can put their own spin to classic stories like Wizard of Oz and Sang Nila Utama in a captivating Manga art style.
As part of discovering more content and authors with Gen AI, NLB will also offer the opportunity for patrons to learn about the benefits and challenges this emerging technology brings.
At this pop-up library, patrons can look up NLB resources such as Read to be S.U.R.E. (Source, Understand, Research, Evaluate), which help patrons understand both the benefits and challenges of AI.
There are also display panels that explain how Generative AI works and how to differentiate real information from fake, so that patrons may learn the importance of digital literacy.
How to Use the Comics & Games Library
To enter the Comics and Games Library, visitors can simply scan their ID or request a QR code day pass.
Items from the Comics and Games Library at Punggol Coast Mall can be borrowed using the NLB Mobile app.
NLB’s Chief Executive Officer, Mr Ng Cher Pong, said: “We have been encouraged by the responses to our pop-up libraries, which have appeared in malls, community clubs, and other spaces near where patrons are. With each new pop-up library, we take the opportunity to work with different partners, to bring reading and learning to our patrons in new and engaging ways. For the Comics and Games Library, we explored creating a board game space with homegrown game designers, for patrons to learn about Singapore culture through play, and also discover local talents in gaming. This reflects our spirit of experimentation as part of the LAB25 (Libraries and Archives Blueprint 2025) journey, to build a vibrant Learning Marketplace for everyone.”
The new library space offers delightful physical collections for young and old! Be it readers of Japanese manga, superhero and space classics from Marvel and DC universes, and even well-loved Peanuts comics, or children and young adult fantasy, board games for families and friends to play on the spot, there is something for everyone!
Beyond that, three screens of recommended digital titles – regularly refreshed – beckon! Keeping an open mind, I left happily with a loan of 4 books and an e-book!
Where: Punggol Coast Mall, Tower 7, 88 Punggol Way, #01-140, Singapore 829913 (facing the Atrium)
Operating hours: 10 am to 10 pm daily (including public holidays)
